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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29062212">"You could stay with me? At least for a while."</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/river_chan/pseuds/river_chan'>river_chan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, and that's basically it, before the main story, i still don't know how to tag, just like Rinne, okay so you know how Hiiro was also homeless, seriously how do I tag this, so I thought, they are going to be so gay bro, what if the way Riniki met but HiiAi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,471</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29062212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/river_chan/pseuds/river_chan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Hiiro was laying on the park bench that has become his bed, freezing and starving, someone suddenly approached him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amagi Hiiro/Shiratori Aira</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>"You could stay with me? At least for a while."</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The October weather was cold and merciless, the bench that has become his bed was hard and painful, and Hiiro himself was... starving.<br/><br/>When he first came to the city, he didn't have much of a plan besides: Find his brother and destroy idols. The question is, how? He has no idea how things outside his village work... Neither does he have a place to stay, or a reliable way to get food, or anything at all. And the people in the city seem to be only focused on themselves.<br/><br/>If this continues, Hiiro is gonna die eventually, isn't he? He can't possibly show his face in the village again, not without his brother, the future chief. But how is he supposed to find his brother, when all he does is lay on a park bench, barely awake? Though looking for him isn't an option either, not only because he has no idea where he could possibly be, but especially because he's simply was too exhausted to move. He has hardly eaten anything the past few days so he doesn't have the energy for anything. And yet, just staying here won't get him anywhere either... It's hopeless.</p><p>And it's only October, fall only just started, and yet Hiiro is already shivering. Just how is he supposed to survive winter? Especially when he doesn't have any calories to burn to keep him warm. He's either gonna starve or freeze to death, huh?<br/><br/>If only his brother was just here... then everything would be fine, they could just go home and... just be reunited. But he won't just magically show up here, will he? He wonders, how could his brother possibly be doing? Has he at least found shelter somewhere? There's no way to know...<br/>"Um, hey?"<br/><br/>That sudden voice from beside him startled Hiiro so much, he nearly fell off the bench. Normally, his instincts are incredibly sharp, so he was also baffled he didn't notice anyone approaching in the first place. Suppose his fatigue is to blame...<br/><br/>It took him a few moments to try to get both his eyes and his mind somewhat focused, but once he saw clearly, he found a beautiful boy, around his age, maybe a year or so younger. His hair was blonde and reached his shoulders, and his emerald eyes glared at him with concern.<br/><br/>"Uh... Are you okay?" the stranger asked him sheepishly, as he got no reaction from Hiiro who was still only half-conscious, being half-starved and unbelievably exhausted. "I noticed you staying here in the park the past few days, and I was wondering, are you homeless, perhaps?"<br/><br/>"Ngh... uh... y-yes..." Hiiro eventually got out. His fatigued brain wasn't only trying to stay awake, but also absolutely overwhelmed as to why this stranger would just suddenly approach him, and talk to him. One of the first things the boy had learned about the city was that the people don't care about anyone besides themselves; no one ever paid any attention to him, and if they did it was just spiteful glares, as if his existence was an annoyance to them.<br/><br/>And yet, this random boy suddenly showed up and asked him if he was alright?<br/><br/>The stranger nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, so you are... I figured. Must be rough, huh?" he plumbed down on the bench beside Hiiro, suddenly a kind and inviting smile on his face, "What's your name? I'm Shiratori Aira!"<br/><br/>"My name is Amagi Hiiro..." he answered after hesitating for a moment, "Um, why are you talking to me? Is there anything you need? I'm afraid I won't be able to provide it to you, though..."<br/><br/>Thrown off, Aira took his head. "What? I don't need anything, you do, Hiro-kun! Seeing a kid like you always alone and out on a bench made me think you're homeless and that's why I wanted to know if you're doing alright. What happened? Did you run away from home or something?"<br/><br/>Hiiro's impression was that no one in the city really cares about anyone, especially not strangers... So why was this boy worried about him? He seemed to genuinely care... Maybe there are good people out there after all?<br/><br/>"Not very talkative, huh?" after that remark, Aira suddenly gasped, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, that was a very heavy question to just drop on you, wasn't it?"<br/><br/>Hiiro really needed to start responding properly, not getting lost in thought or drifting out of consciousness. "Ah, no, it's okay, really. I was just... Ngh..."<br/><br/>This cold weather really burned the very few calories that Hiiro managed to gather for himself. He felt like his body was starting to shut down, as it spent so much energy he didn't have just on staying warm...<br/><br/>"H-Hiro-kun?! Hey, don't go passing out on me like that!" Aira's voice caught him last second before it went completely black. He felt something warm wrapped around him, and a weird object placed in his hand. Hiiro squinted his eyes, looking at Aira in confusion.<br/><br/>"Ah, thank god, you're still there. Please stay with me, alright? I gave you my coat and a chocolate bar, but that's obviously not gonna be enough for you... Wanna come over to my place? You can stay there for a while and I can try to make you food."<br/><br/>Hiiro's dull eyes glared at Aira in disbelief. Did he really just offer him a place to stay? Was he so fatigued he's started hallucinating? He can't possibly be serious, can he? So many questions were on Hiiro's mind, but he could only get out one, "why?"<br/><br/>"'Cause I'm not really a fan of people suffering, especially a kid roughly as old as me, you dummy. It's really okay, my parents aren't home so it won't bother anyone. But I think you should probably eat the chocolate bar first, you look really out of it."<br/><br/>Silently, Hiiro stared at the weird plastic thing in his hands, as he furrowed his brows, "Is this edible?"<br/><br/>Aira stared back, just as confused, "Um, of course it is? It's a chocolate bar?"<br/><br/>"Hm, I see," Hiiro said before bringing the wrapped snack to his mouth, only to be stopped by the other boy.<br/><br/>"Are you stupid? You're not supposed to eat it with the wrapper, you idiot!" The bar was ripped from Hiiro's hands, and Aira unwrapped it for him while shaking his head. "Seriously, have you never had a chocolate bar before?"<br/><br/>Hiiro lowered his head, shivering from both the cold and... Aira's harsh words. "I'm sorry..."<br/><br/>"Ah-" that apologetic reaction made Aira flinch, he didn't mean to hurt him with that at all. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said such mean words. I'm really sorry," the blonde felt too guilty to make eye contact with Hiiro, so he instead focused on the snack he was unwrapping. Once it was open, he handed it to the other boy with a kind smile. "Here, Hiro-kun, now you can eat it."<br/><br/>Now it certainly looked much more like someone you can eat. Hiiro graciously accepted the snack, and Aira watched him as he ate. He was able to tell that the redhead had barely eaten anything the past few days. And a little chocolate bar isn't gonna get rid of this boy's hunger when he can clearly hear his stomach growl like a dying dog.<br/><br/>He sighed. "Like I said, you can come over to stay at my place. I can make you some meals and you'll have a place to sleep. Just come with me - ah, can you even walk when you're starved like that? M-My home isn't far from here..."<br/><br/>Hiiro wanted to graciously deny the incredibly kind offer since he doesn't want to burden anyone... But he couldn't. He was desperate. Hungry, tired, exhausted... and incredibly lonely. He simply didn't have the energy to say no. And... if he dies like this, then the village will never get its chief back. So he murmured, "Thank you... Aira..."<br/><br/>His legs were shaky, but Hiiro believed they were still strong enough to carry him to his destination since Aira said it would be close by. Even though he was still able to walk, Aira immediately noticed his struggles and proceeded to hold his hand as they walked. And though Hiiro's sight was rather blurry, he could still see Aira's pale cheeks burn a bright pink.<br/><br/>While he didn't necessarily need it, the warm hand in his guiding him... he felt safe. He felt like those few times in his childhood, where his nii-san held his hand. It had the same warmth, the same feeling of comfort, of home, and of being loved and supported... Despite these two still practically being strangers. <br/><br/>And before he knew it, they arrived at their destination. It was a small apartment, rather scarce on furniture and a tiny bit messy; Aira would have tidied it up if he was expecting to pick up a homeless boy like a stray kitten. Everything was rather hazy for Hiiro, Aira sat him down in the kitchen, and a moment later he was handed some instant ramen. In the city you can make a meal like this that quick?<br/><br/>"Sorry it's not that good, I don't have much..." the blonde sheepishly apologized, as if Hiiro wasn't incredibly grateful to have literally anything to eat.<br/><br/>"Thank you so much, Aira! How can I ever pay you back?"<br/><br/>Aira laughed. "You needn't, don't worry. Just have a nice meal!" Then, both of them were silent, aside from the slurping noises coming from Hiiro. Aira took this time to think, eventually saying, "You know, my parents won't be home until Sunday. And even then, they're gonna be gone again soon, they aren't home a lot, so you can stay with me whenever they're not here. They'd whoop my ass if they knew I'm practically adopting some homeless kid, but I couldn't possibly just kick you back out on the street again, so uhh..."<br/><br/>It took Hiiro a moment to process what he just heard, and even then he had to confirm if he really understood, "Are you saying... You'd let me live with you?"<br/><br/>"I mean, the few days when my parents are home you couldn't be here, I'm afraid. But I can still try to bring you some food? I'm sorry, that's kinda the most I can do, I really don't want my parents to beat the shit out of me."<br/><br/>The ramen wasn't even fully eaten up yet, but Hiiro suddenly got up upon hearing this, not saying a word.<br/><br/>"H-Hiro-kun?" Aira yelped in surprise, as Hiiro's strong arms were wrapped around him... tightly. "Ah, Hiro-kun, s-stop! You're squishing my organs-!"<br/><br/>Hiiro instantly let go, apologizing in an anxious voice. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry, Aira! I did this as a gesture of my love and gratitude towards you, I didn't mean to harm you!"<br/><br/>The blonde slightly flinched at Hiiro's choice of words... Love. That's a pretty strong word, not something you should use for someone you only just met, even if Aira is his 'savior' of sorts. And Hiiro's expression only grew even more panicked when Aira didn't respond instantly because of this. Once he noticed that, he tried putting on a cool facade, saying, "Naw, it's totally fine, Hiro-kun, don't worry about it. You're pretty strong though, I gotta say."<br/><br/>He was reliefed. "Thank you! If my strength can be needed in your household at any time, let me know! I want to help out as much as I possibly can to pay you back!"<br/><br/>Although he tried, Aira just couldn't help it, his lips curled into a smile. That genuine and earnest personality... It was really pleasant, almost cute in a way. When just thinking 'homeless teenager', he would have imagined a rebellious, unruly young drug addict. And while Aira knows that's a stereotypical and harmful view, but it's the kind of image in your mind you can't quite shake off. But for some reason, he didn't hesitate to approach Hiiro. Even from far away, he could tell that Hiiro... didn't seem like that.<br/><br/>"I told you, you needn't pay me back. Think of it as staying over at a friend's place," Aira said with a friendly smile, "Anyways, I'll be in my room, I should tidy my mess up when I have someone over, hehe. You enjoy your meal, yeah?"<br/><br/>Hiiro nodded and sat back down to finish his ramen as Aira left. He ate slowly, savoring every single bite since he hasn't had a proper meal for so long. Once he was done, he went to check on Aira.<br/><br/>He said that he'd tidy up his mess, and quite some time had passed, but there was still stuff laying around everywhere. Not that Hiiro minded it in any way, he was glad he had a roof over his head after all.<br/><br/>"Oh, hey Hiro-kun. Are you full?"<br/><br/>Nodding, Hiiro looked around Aira's room. The only things that were orderly here his many were colorful posters, figures, plushies, all sorts of things. Aira noticed where the other's gaze was wandered, commenting, "Haha, yeah I'm a pretty huge idol fanboy, as you can tell. I absolutely love idols, and my dream is to become one myself!" His eyes sparkled so beautifully as he talked about his ambition.<br/><br/>Idols... that's what Hiiro swore to destroy... He's thought about it, and becoming one himself would be the way to do it... That would bring him so much closer to his ultimate goal.<br/><br/>"Actually... I want to become an idol, too!"<br/><br/>Aira turned his head from looking at the TrickStar poster in front of him to face Hiiro, gasping in amazement and excitement. "You too?" He went and grabbed Hiiro's hands, shaking them eagerly and beaming with happiness. "Hiro-kun, let's become idols together! That'd be so awesome! Let's do it, the two of us!"<br/><br/>While Hiiro was slightly startled by Aira's sudden enthusiasm, but his expression quickly softened into a smile. "Yes, let's do it together, Aira."<br/><br/>The blonde jumped around the room and then jumped at Hiiro, hugging him. "Yes! Yay!" he laughed, before speaking, "Hiro-kun, you said you wanted to pay me back, if we can actually become idols together... I'll be the happiest person alive!"<br/><br/>Repaying Aira for his incredible kindness, without which Hiiro might have died... and at the same time, coming closer to his ultimate goal of getting his brother back...<br/><br/>It felt like their encounter truly was destiny, and the two boys were holding each other in their arms as if they had known each other for their entire lives. Hugging each other with such a warm love... At that moment, both of them had a feeling of a true connection that would link them together for the years to come.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hdfgsfajdhgjgdjasj stan HiiAi and stay hydrated I am going to crawl back into my hole now</p></blockquote></div></div>
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